Improvement in attaching traces to wh lffletrees



E. GALDERWOGD.

Whiletree.

Patented- Jlme 27. 1865.

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NJETERS, PHOTO-UMOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D` c. Y

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EZRA OALDERWOOD, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,364, dated June 27,1865.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. GALDERWOOD, of Portland, in the county ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented a new and Improved Mode ofAttaching Traces to VVhiite-4 trees; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description there of, which willenable those skilled in the art to make and use the saine, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of my invention,taken in the line xx, Fig. 3; Fig-2, a

transverse section ot' the same, taken in the line yy, Fig. 3; Fig. 3, aplan or top view ot' the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre-- are placed two slidingbars, B B, which work in guides b, and have their inner ends notched toform a hook, e. These hooks are fitted in slots d d made in a slidingplate, C, placed over the center of the whiflietree and secured theretoby the bolt D,`which attaches the whifiletree to the cross-bar of thethills, said bolt e passing through an oblong slot, e, in the plate C,which slot admits of said plate having a cer-` tain degree of play, aswill be fully understood by referring to Fig. 3.

The slots d d in the plate O, and in which slots the hooks c of thesliding bars B B are fitted, have an oblique position relatively witheach other, the rear ends of the slots being nearer to each other thanthe front ends, and hence it will be seen that by sliding or moving saidplate forward and backward the bars B B maybe drawn inward toward thecenter of the whiffetree or shoved outward from it. The outer ends ofthe sliding bars; B B have each two pendent lips, e e', through which ahole is made to receive the pins or rods a at the endsof the whifetree.(See Fig. l.)

D D represent the traces, the endis of which are provided with eyes forthe pins or rods a of the whidetree to pass through, the ends of thetraces being tted between the pendent lips e! e of the sliding bars B B.(See Fig. l.)

It will be seen from the above description that the lips e c of the barsB B, when the latter are drawn inward on the pins or rods a, a of thewhiflietree, retain or hold the traces on said pins or rods, and that byshoving the sliding bars B B outward the traces will be moved oft' fromthe pins or rods and the traces disconnected fromthe whiffletree, andthe horse consequently detached from the vehicle.

The plate O is operated by means of a lever, E, havingitsfulcrum atf,(seeFig. 2,) said lever extending upward through a slotted plate, g,attached tothe dash-board of the vehicle. This lever may be readilyreached by the driver, and by drawing its upper end inward toward thedaslithe plate O will be moved forward and the bars B B shoved outward,so as to tree the traces from the pins orrods a a ot' the whifetree.

Thus by this simple arrangement a horse may be instantly detached from avehicle, and accidents which now frequently occur in consequence of-horses running away avoided.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The sliding barsB B, provided with the pendentlips c c', to receive pins or rods a datthe ends of the whiftietree, in connection with the sliding slottedplate O, operated byalever., E, all being arranged and appliedsubstantially in the manner as and for the purpose specified.

EZRA GALDERWOOD.

